CINE: 2010 Board of Directors

Robyn De Shields, Founder and President, De Shields Associates, Inc.

Robyn De Shields

Ms. De Shields is a marketing and event management consultant. Her experience includes more than thirty years of strategic marketing management; campaign development; promotion; public television station relations; event management and community relations for national and regional public broadcasting organizations, television and radio producers, non-profit organizations and corporate clients.

In 1996 she founded De Shields Associates, a firm specializing in marketing public broadcasting programs and series, special event management and strategic marketing. Since its founding De Shields Associates has provided customized strategic marketing, media relations and television marketing and event management services to a diverse client list including among others: The Miller Center for Public Affairs; The National Minority Consortia; Sonny Tours, Ltd./Allied Live; The Zula Patrol; Craft in America; Art 21; KCET; The Tavis Smiley Group; HTN Productions; Echo Pictures; Hortus, Ltd.; Dunbar Productions; Time-Life Kids; ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre; Cerebellum Corporation; Issues TV, Ltd.; New River Media; Beacon Productions; The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company; The Kydd Group; Culinary Arts Television; FRONTLINE; Globalvision, Inc.; Public Radio International; Blackside, Inc., The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

During her career Ms. De Shields has provided marketing representation for more than 200 radio and television productions. Her event management experience spans three decades and includes the management of events of all sizes and configurations from small intimate corporate dinners to outdoor concerts.

Ms. De Shields' professional background includes serving as Director of Broadcast Marketing and Promotion for the Independent Television Service; Director of Communications for American Public Radio (now PRI); Associate Director of Station Relations and National Scheduling for WGBH; National Marketing Coordinator for WGBH Radio; Director of Communications for The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health; Public Relations Manager for WAMU-FM and Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington.

Recently, Ms. De Shields was elected to the CINE Board of Directors. Previously, Ms. De Shields served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors; Member Board of Governors, Co-Chair of the EMMY Committee and Chair of the Silver Circle/Golden Circle Committee of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), and on the boards of Educators for Social Responsibility, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington as well as having served on the Education Committee of the Washington Council of Governments. Her professional associations include membership in The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, The International Special Events Society (ISES), and Women in Film & Video and past membership in the National Association of Black Journalists.

Why do you think film (or television, or new media) is important?
Watching film and/or television can be a singular intimate experience and at the same time be shared with community where it becomes universal.

Why do you think CINE is important?
Over it's long history CINE has proven it can grow and adapt to the ever-changing media environment.

What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry today?
Be kind and honest. Remember the person you closed a door on once, could open a door for you in the future.